Pressure tank gauge and sampling device



May 14, 1940. J. H. MccABE PRESSURE TANK GAUGE AND SAMPLING DEVICE FiledDec. 12, 1938 R. m a N w E m 3$ 21 4 HH 1| 0 Q; \1 W fl ll 6 z 2 0. W

Y B 5 5 n. 3 3 a J M: w: l .u 3||Y I 5 ATTORNEY.

PM... May 14, 1940 [UNITED sT Tss PATENT OFFICE.

*mmssmur. mm: GAUGE m smuuc DEVICE Joseph ma m- McCabe, Maplewood. N. J.Application December 1 2. 1938, Serial No. 245,124

2am. (on. 33-126.?)

My invention relates to improvements in pressure tank gauges andsampling devices and itmore especially includes the features that arepointed out in the annexed claims.

The purpose of my device is to simplify the gauging of oil tanks; thatinsures a degree of accuracy in gauging-that has been unattainablehereto; that enables. a gauger to take the measurements veryrapidly;that enables the gauger to secure samples of the specific gravity atdifferent levelsor only at the-: top or the extreme bottom of the tank;and that at the same time the temperature of the sample can be taken.

With these and other ends in view I illustrate in the accompanyingdrawing such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broad featuresof the invention without limiting myself to the specific details shownthereon and described herein.

1 is a side elevation partly in section showing a plumb bob in dottedlines associated with a reeled tape.

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section at right anglesto the verticalplane of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view in section approximately on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

In installing my device on oil tanks or any tanks holding liquids, I mayuse such changes of the structure herein described or modificationsthereof as the exigencies of varying conditions may demandwithout-departing from the broad spirit of the invention. I

My device is secured to an extension from the top of a tank I. in anydesired manner by way of a flange 2, a flange section of pipe and aquick opening gate valve 3 on .top of which my device is placed. Itcomprises. the central portion 4 carrying flanges 5' at the ,top andbottom. A flanged dome 6 is secured to the top flange 5. Between the twoend flanges 5 of the central portion 4, side openings 1 and 8 areformed. 0n the left hand side of Fig. 1, the opening I isclosed by alarge door 3 that is suitably hinged at l0 shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Tothis large door a smaller glass door H is hinged. This carries a panelof heavyplate glass l2. The doors may have suitable gaskets to insurethat they will close tightly and any desired form of clamps may be usedto hold them securely closed without having recourse to hinges. 1

Oppositethe dooropening I another opening 0 is formed. This is coveredby a special casting l3 insuch a way as to form an open space l4 intowhich a face plate I! may be retracted. At the center of the cover I atubular detachable extension I 6 is secured. In it, a threaded rod IIhas movement. A suitable packing is provided to make the outer end ofthis rod gas tight, and the inner end of the rod is secured to the backside of the face plate IS.

The face plate itself is rectangular in shape. It is held in thisrectangulargvertical position as against tilting by means of two guiderods l8, which enter projections i9 formed on the outside of the coverl3. The threaded stem ll extends l0 outfar enough so that when the stemand the face plate have moved laterally so that the face plate issubstantially against the inside of the large door, the squared or otherend of the stem will be outside of the central projection I 6 5 of thecover.

The dome top 6 has supported beneath its dome a tape line reel 2|. Thesupport 22 passes on each side of the reel 2| and at its lower end apair of rollers 23- are provided. The purpose of 20 theseis to alwayshold the tape line 24 approximately central of the pipe connections. Asupporting screw 25 holds the reel attachment assembled in the dome top.

The reel has a spindle 26 of large diameter ex- 25 tending to the rightof Fig. 2. It passes through a stufling box and outside of this atoothed wheel 21 is supported on it and beyond this a hand lever 28 ispositioned. The other end 29 of the spindle 26 is of reduced diameter.It passes into a bear- 30 ing of the dome top and may have a conicalenclagainst which a take up screw may be moved.

I {On top of the dome 6 a pivoted arm 30 may be "placed, the purpose ofwhich is to drop into any desired-tooth of the wheel 21 to lock the reelspindle 26 so as to hold the tape 24 in any desired position. In Fig. 2an all brass sampler cage 3| is shown. It has a top bail 32 by means ofwhich it is suspended on a snap hook at the able collar. The stem passesthrough a cast-in 5o guide and between this guide and the collar, a

coil spring 31 is positioned to normally hold the valve closed. Withinthe sampler cage 3 l a thermometer tube 33 is placed. This may be heldin grooves formed in the outer wall so that it may be easily withdrawnthrough the cover 39 for examination.

In order to definitely gauge the depth of liquids in the tank, forinstance, gasoline, the tape 24 is covered with a paste that is quicklyand accurately dissolved by the gasoline without any crawling past theexact level of the gasoline, which on the reeling of the tape 24 and thebringing of it close to the glass panel l2 by the face plate l5 willmake visible the depth of the liquid within the tank due to the pastehaving been dissolved off from the tape by the action of the gasoline.

In gauging operation the operator has a rough idea, within a few inches,of the height that the oil in the tank should be, and he lowers thegauge bob 40 down till the tape shows the reading op posite the centerof the glass panel l2 of the height he believes the oil to be. He thenlocks the tape in this position by the use of the locking finger 30which engages the gear 21 shown at the top of Fig. 2. The quick openinggate valve 3 is open all this time.

He then operates the lever handle 28 which may be placed on the stem I!of the face plate l5 which moves the face plate over into the positionshown by the dotted lines. This carries the tape sidewise against thedoor frame, which is provided with a face gasket to make a gas tightjoint at this point.

The glass door panel [2 is then opened and the operator covers the tapeby hand with paste and closes the door, pulls the face plate'back andlowers the tape until the gauge bob 40 touches the bottom of the tank.He holds it in this position for 15 or 30 seconds, then pulls the gaugebob up until the line of height, as shown by the paste which has beenwashed off from the tape, appears at the window, and he then againoperates a handle 28 throwing the face plate over against the outerdoor, opens the glass door, takes his reading and wipes the tape clean,closes the door and winds the tape up until the plumb bob is oppositethe glass door, and then closes the gate valve 3 immediately below.

When both a sample and its temperature are desired he opens the largerof the two doors, unhooks the gauge bob 40, and hooks the specialsampling can 3| on tothe snap, and then closes the large door, opens thegate valve and lowers the sampling can 3l' to any particular point inthe tank at which he wishes to take the sample or the temperature. Thenthe can 3| is raised, the gate valve closed, the larger door opened andthe sampling can removed. The gauge bob is replaced and the door closedwhich completes the operation.

For most occasions the sampling and taking of temperature is an entirelyseparate operation. Also sampling cans are of dlfierent types, thosewhich fill from the top through small holes so that an average samplecan be taken of the oil as the can descends according to the size ofthis opening. The sampling can shown is made to take samples at thebottom, or in other words is lowered to the bottom of the tank, and isallowed to fill at that point. Other cans are made which are heavilyweighted so they can be lowered to any desired depth, the cans then openwith an automatic valve 36 and a sample taken at any desired level.

I have designed and shown a sampling can in which the thermometer hasbeen placed in, specially provided grooves inside the can. By doingthis, both'a sample and temperature are taken in the same operation.

My can is further designed and constructed so that it can be used in anyone of three ways; first, to take a sample at any given level; second,to take an average sample throughout the depth of the oil in the tank;or third, to take a sample of the water in a hydraulic pressure tank orother mixture of different specific gravity at the bottom.

What I claim is:

1. Tank gauging and sampling devices associated with openings in tanktops, comprising a casing positioned above an opening, reel supported atthe upper end of the casing and enclosed thereby, means for manipulatingthe reel from the outside, the casing having openings on opposite faces,a composite door over one opening, a suitable cover over-the otheropening, a tape line on the reel suspended in spaced apart relation toboth openings, means within the second opening adapted to be movedtransversely of the casing adapted to shift the tape line forobservation into close proximity to the composite door opening.

2. A gas tight extension projecting upward from an opening into a tank,a quick acting gate valve in such extension, means for supporting atapeline and its reel within and near the top of the extension, therebeing openings in opposite walls of the extension between the reel andthe gate valve, a door having an opening therethrough, a second doorhinged thereon and c1osing said opening, said second door having a glasspanel and both doors closing one of the openings in the extension, aface plate in the other opening directly opposite the doors adapted tobe moved toward the doors to carry the tape line suspended in spacedapart relation to both openings with it, means external of the extensionfor operating the reel, and other means external of the extension formoving the face plate across the extension to shift the tape line towardthe door opening JOSEPH HUNTER MCCABE.

